Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this kit, and had a successful experience. Here's what I've learned, in case you decide you want to do the same thing. (Apparently this process also works for other Galaxy phones as well, but I can only say it worked for me with the Note 2.) 1. Determine if you`ve cracked just the glass cover. Are there any dead spots where the screen itself seems damaged? That's a different problem: You need to replace the glass AND the LCD screen. I'd recommend having that done professionally. 2. If you've only cracked the glass, decide if you want to have a pro do it. I spoke with several local companies, and it ranged from $175 to over $200. You might think it's a bargain, since the Note 2 typically retails for over $800 (though prices will likely drop as the Note 3 comes to market). But the local repair people wouldn't warranty their work - they said the LCD screen could get damaged - so I decided I'd rather be the one making the mistake. And if I did, I'd only be out a few bucks for the glass kit, and I'd just have to pay to have the glass and LCD both replaced (still cheaper than buying a new phone). 3. Watch videos of people doing Note 2 glass replacement. There are many of them; watch several to see different techniques. 4. I bought the ProKit replacement glass kit here on Amazon. It comes with replacement glass, tools, and an adhesive template. Commenters complain about the poor quality of the tools: the screwdrivers I received were worthless (but they're unnecessary for glass removal). One commenter also complained that the glass they received was scratched; I'd surmise they'd neglected to remove the protective adhesive plastic sheet that you have to take off before installing it. (Incidentally, the video on the ProKit site is the least useful of any I watched, so you can probably give it a miss.) 5. Here are the tools I needed, in addition to the ProKit: a roll of wide, clear packing tape; an exact-o knife or razor blade; an additional guitar pick (plastic "razor blades" also work, also available on Amazon); a handheld hair dryer; rubbing alcohol; a dry, soft cloth rag; a very soft cloth, like one for cleaning camera lenses; a can of high-pressure air, also for cleaning camera lenses; and a plastic cutting board or other surface that can be heated. 6. For prep, take off the back of the phone, and remove the battery. Despite the advice on several videos, there's no reason I could see to remove the 11 screws in the back. 6. To heat the screen, I used a compact handheld hair dryer, 250 watts, on high. Be patient; you really do have to heat the phone for 5 minutes or so, before you can have a hope of starting to melt the adhesive holding the glass cover to the LCD. Some videos tell you to use gloves; I didn't find the phone to be that hot, but be careful. 7. Most of the instructional videos neglect to mention what happens if you've really shattered the glass, as I did. Place a strip of wide, clear packing tape (not scotch tape) across the phone, and trim the excess using the exact-o knife. You'll still have tiny glass chips coming off at some point, but you won't be handling chunks of glass. 8. The ProKit includes a thick plastic triangle, and a guitar pick. It may be that the thick one can be used with a glass screen with minor damage; but a spiderweb screen will simply get more rapidly mangled using the thick one. A second guitar pick, or a plastic razor blade, will be more useful. 9. Once the screen is well heated, use the exact-o knife at the TOP edge of the screen, near the little speaker grill in the middle, to start pulling away the glass. As soon as you can wedge in one of the guitar picks, do so; the blade could damage the LCD. Be careful to wedge between the glass and the LCD, NOT the LCD and the body. How do you know if you're doing it right? You'll see the adhesive start to separate in little waves under the glass. 10. Work one guitar pick down either side of the phone. If the glass isn't too cracked, eventually they'll work together, and the adhesive will pull away nicely, in a single "wave." If the glass is cracked, it's unavoidable to keep cracking it more; be careful not to cut yourself. Keep using the hair dryer; heat is your friend. At some point the little speaker grill at the top may fall out; watch to see how it sits in the glass (so you can place it correctly in the new glass cover), then keep it someplace safe. 11. As you get to the bottom of the glass display, you should be able to lever the glass plate away from the phone, as if it were hinged. At the bottom of the phone, there are three things to be careful of; the two sensors on either side, and the button itself. The button will fall out of its little slot, but that's okay; it has two tiny plastic extensions with holes in them, and those holes align with little nubs on the phone itself, so it's easy to put the button back on. There's a metal inset holder on the glass plate, which guides the button into place; look carefully to see how it's placed, so you can put it correctly in the new glass. As one video instructor mentions, if you put it in backwards, it can crack the new glass. 12. The sensors at the bottom can be problematic; they have adhesive on them, and they can pull away from the phone, or can be torn if you're too rough pulling away the glass face. Watch in the instructional videos to see how they can be gently handled without tearing. 13. You should now have the old glass face completely removed from the phone. Now comes one of the longest steps: Cleaning the adhesive off the LCD. This took much more time than some of the videos will lead you to believe. Use your fingers slide off as much of the adhesive as possible. Take the soft rag, put a little rubbing alcohol on it, and start rubbing in circular motions. Use a lamp light to reflect on the LCD screen so you can see what smudges remain. Be very thorough; you want a completely shiny surface. To be thorough, once you think you've gotten all of the smudges off, use the camera lens cloth to polish the LCD. That may leave some fuzz residue (especially on any remaining adhesive on the edges of the camera, such as on the bottom sensors); use the air can to blow away the fuzz, and your exact-o knife to pull away fuzz from the sensors. 14. Some commenters say that the ProKit doesn't come with any adhesive; they may just not understand that the black-edged template with the blue plastic center is actually adhesive. Make sure the bottom button is in place on the phone, and the bottom sensors are as flat as you can get them. Carefully place the adhesive template on the phone, and use one of the ProKit plastic tools to gently but firmly push the adhesive solidly down in place. Then, using your exact-o knife in one hand to keep the adhesive in place, gently pull the blue plastic part of the template away from the phone. Use the knife to push down any ripples in the adhesive. 15. Take the glass face, and remove the protective plastic cover. Use your air blower can to get rid of any dust. Put the grill in the top of the glass face, then gently put the glass in place on top of the phone. Use your fingers to "walk" around the edge of the phone, pushing it down firmly. 16. Replace the battery and back cover. Voila! The operation should be over. Turn the phone back on, and if all has gone well, you should be the proud owner of an unblemished Note 2. gB